Widened tubular knit fabric



(No Model.)

W. ESTY.

WIDENED TUBULAR KNIT FABRIC.

Patented Oct. 18, 1887.

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NITED STATES \VILLIAM ESTY, OF LAOONIA, NEW HAMPSHIRE.

WIDENED TUBULAR KNIT- FABRIC.

SPECIPIC'ATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 371,566, dated October 18, 1887.

Application filed July 2, 1887. Serial No. 243,260. (No specimens) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM ESTY, of Laconia, in the county of Belknap and State of New Hampshire, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Widened Tubular- Knit Fabrics, of which the following, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification.

Myinvention relates to the manufacture of widened tubular knit fabrics; and it consists in a novel arrangement of stitches formed from a single yarn extending continuously in the same direction and composing the seam in that part of the fabric where the widening takes place, which will be readily understood by reference to the description of the drawings, and to the claim to be hereinafter given.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a side elevation of a shirt-sleeve illustrative of my invention; and Fig. 2 is an enlarged elevation of a portion of the same, showing the form and arrangement of the stitches which constitute the seam in that part of the fabric where the widening takes place.

In the manufacture of my improved widened tubular fabric I use an automatic machine having two sets of needles arranged in rows parallel to each other upon fixed beds, said beds being so inclined to each other that the needles in one row, when moved endwise by the action of the needleeams thereon, will cross the plane of movement of the other row of needles, said needle-cams being constructedto feed the needles in the front row endwise when said cams move from right to left while the needles in the rear row are at rest, and to move the needles in the rear row endwise when said cams move from the left to the right while the needles in the front row are at rest, or vice versa, the machine being provided with a pivoted or vibrating yarn-carrier con structed and arranged to feed a yarn first to one row of needles and then to the other row of needles, means for moving said carrier over said rows of needles from end to end thereof, and vibrating said carrier at each end of the rows of needles, so that the yarn which is fed to one row of needles when the carrier is moving in one direction will be delivered to the other row of needles when the carrier moves in the opposite direction, and a pattern-chain for automatically throwing into and out of ac tion the needles for forming the widening seam.

For an example of the arrangement and operation of the yarncarrier see Letters Patent N0. 302,119, granted to me July 15, 188i. For an example of the needles and the patternchain for throwing said needles out of action see another application of mine, filed December 12, 1881, No. 150,160, and the Letters Patent No. 247,325, granted to me September 20, 1881, in which one set of needles and the pat tern-chain for operating the same are shown, the other set of needles and pattern chain being placed opposite those shown, with the angle of inclination of the needles and neodle-bed reversed, and with the sinker-hooks of the two sets about one-sixteenth of an inch apart; and for an example of the needle-operating cams see Letters Patent No. 39,934, granted to Isaac WV. Lamb, September 15, 1863.

In the drawings, A and B represent portions of the fabric which are knit straight, or with a uniform number of stitches in each course of either section, but with a different number of stitches in the courses of Afrom thosein B, and O is a section located between and connecting A and B, and in which the widening to give the taper to the fabric takes place. This widened tubular fabric may be a stocking, the slee e of a shirt, the leg of a pair of drawers, or any other tapered tubular knit fabric, and is knit by commencing at the small end and at the proper times widening to increase its diameter and give the desired taper thereto.

If a shirt-sleeve is to be knit, the wristband D is first knit and then a straight tubular portion, B, is knit, extending to the line a, when the widening begins. Up to this point a uniform number of needles have been in action, and each course knit contains the same number of stitches. \Vhen the point for beginning the widening is reached and the yarn-carrier is at the right-hand end of the rows of needles, an additional needle at the opposite end of the front row of needles is thrown into action, and the end needle of said row previously in action and next to said new needle and the third needle from said new needle are thrown out of action, and two courses, (1 d, are knit. The new needle catches the yarnof the first course d and draws it into a loop; but as there is no stitch upon said new needle to draw the new of the rows of needles, or when one-half of said second course has been knit and the carrier is atthe left-hand end of the rows of needles, a new needle at the 1eft-hand end of the rear row of needles is thrown into action, and the needle next to said new needle and the third needle therefrom, and previously in action, are thrown out of action, and as the carrier is again moved to the right the new needle of the rear row last thrown into action catches the yarn and draws it to the rear side of the machine and holds it until the carrier returns to theleft-hand end of the row of needles,when said new needle is again projected forward, carrying the latch of the needle through the loop previously seized, and as the carrier again moves toward the right said new needle seizes the yarn delivered therefrom and then recedes and draws the loop 0 of said yarn through the loop previously seized by said needle and casts the latter off. WVhen the carrierhas reached the right-hand end of its reciprocation, after having delivered the yarn of the second course d to the new needle last thrown into action from the front row of needles, said needle is again thrown out of action, still holding the loop 0 of yarn last seized thereby, and at the same time the two needles in the same row last previously thrown out of action are again thrown into action, another course, e, is knit, the new needle last thrown into action from the rear row of needles is again thrown out of action, still holding the loop a last seized thereby, and at the same time the two needles in the same row previously thrown out of action are again thrown into action and the loops 1) I) held thereby are knit in the next succeeding course. Two or more courses e e are knit upon the original number of needles in each row after the new needles which were thrown in have been thrown out of action again, and then the new needles are again thrown into action and the loops 0 0 carried thereby are knit into succeeding courses, the throwing into and out of action of the needles in the rear row taking place one course later than the same actions take place in the front row of needles. These operations are repeated as often as it is desired to widen, and are continued untilthe point is reached where it is desired to discontinue the widening, the widening upon one side of the seam occurring in each case one course later than upon the other side thereof.

When the widening is completed, any desired number of courses are knit upon the needles then in action without adding to or subtracting from said number to completethe straight portion A, and then the gusset E is knit by widening, as before.

When completed, the seam of that'portion of the fabric where the widening is done will consist of a series of repetitions of the following featuresviz., one or more courses of yarn extending continuously in one direction, as d d, a plurality of loops, b 0, upon each side of the widening seam drawn from a lower course over said first -mentioned course or courses and knit into a course above, one of said loops upon each side of'the center of the seam being.

carried up by a new needle being thrown into action, as heretofore described, thus increasing the number of stitches in the course and widening the fabric.

My present invention may be made upon the same machine as the fabric described in another application of mine, filed May 5, 1887, Serial No. 237,205, by threading only one end of the yarn-carrier and so setting the pattern chains relative to each other that the throwing into and out of action of the needles in one row of needles shall i take place one course later than the same movements take place in. the otherfrow of needles, and modifying the needle-operating cams so that the needles in one row will be moved endwise while the cams are moving in one direction and the other row of needles are at rest, and when the cams move in the opposite direction the needles previously at rest will be moved endwise and the needles in the other row will remain at rest. I

This invention is an improvement upon the invention described in said prior application, No. 237,205,'in that the seam or rib upon the side of the tube opposite to the widening seam,

caused, in said prior patent by the crossing of the yarns, is entirely eliminated from the fabric when formed from a single yarn, as herein described, and the openings in the widening seam will be reduced in size, thu making a more desirable article.

The object of forming the portion of the seam where the widening takes place in the manner hereinbefore described is to more tightly close up the openings which would be formed were only one loop upon each side of the seam drawn from a course over one or more courses and knit into a succeeding course, and at the same time to render said seam more elastic than it otherwise would be. What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- A widened tubular knit fabric having the seam in that portion wherethe widening is done composed of a series of repetitions of one or more courses of a yarn extending continuously in one direction, as d d, and a plurality of loops upon each side of the center of said seam drawn from a course below over and above said first-mentioned courses and knit roo into a course above the same at each widensubscribing witnesses,0n this 27 1h duyof June, ing, one of said loops upon each side of the A. D. 1887.

seam increasing the number of stitches in the 1 7' course into which it is knit and widening the WILLIAM LSTX 5 fabric. Witnesses:

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name N. G. LOMBARD,

to this specification, in the presence of two WALTER E. LOMBARD. 

